Tym Ram Head Big Mud comes home

Man, I have the best customers in the world. I mean, I get to do stuff for amazing people, and people who buy my stuff are amazing. I wake up every day and can't believe how lucky I am to do this stuff and have people I respect and admire care.

This just turned up in the post from Greenwood, IN. USA. No return address ?

 

This is serial number 011. It's an early one of my Ram Heads and to the casual observer looks to be pretty much the same as the ones I make now, right ? 

Well, this is a very different beast to the nerd in me and I don't see these early ones very often. This is one of the early hand folded stainless steel boxes when my friend and I were making them. It's a bit more crude and ill fitting and the folded edges are a little more rounded. The face plate has the square corners, which were rounded off at some stage in production.

 

This one has the screws holding it together and still uses a battery clip inside. It also has a completely different PCB which is all wired to the pots unlike my current Big Mud PCB's which are pot mounted. I did this to help speed up assembly when the Munchkin came along. It also has a different 9V adaptor socket which I stopped using because I didn't like the look (or feel) of them.

So, how's it sound ? It sounds exactly like my current Ram Head but maybe with a little bit less "bite" ? Obviously I've changed something in there since the beginning but I prefer my current one better, but only just.

 

I don't know at what number I went to the new PCB's and the new boxes for that matter but I don't think I made many of these in this configuration ? I don't keep very good records about this stuff but the date scribbled on the inside of the box says 10/2009 and the lovely little note "Bill" has included in a string packet with the knob confirms this.

If you're reading this Bill I'm more than happy to give you some money for this. I'm honoured you used and loved this pedal to make your music and it will go in the counter at the shop for people to see. If you ever come and visit me, let me know and I'll buy you a coffee. Thank you. 

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, the tone pot works backwards like the early BM's so this setting here is pretty much my setting for these. 

A MUD FOR A CAUSE

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